Page 243 - 2019 September 11th Sotheby's Important Chinese Art

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PROPERTY FROM THE JUNKUNC COLLECTION The rise of Neoconfucianism in the Song Other related examples include: one from the
A GOLD AND SILVER-INLAID dynasty led to a revival of interest in archaic Arthur M. Sackler Collection, exhibited in Early
BRONZE ‘MYTHICAL TWIN BIRD’ bronze vessels, particularly in specimens Chinese Miniatures, China House Gallery/
CENSER inlaid with gold and silver. As a result, artisans China Institute in America, New York, 1977,
cat. no. 222 and later sold at Christie’s New
of the Song, and subsequent Ming and Qing,
MING DYNASTY dynasties crafted new bronze vessels modeled York, 1st December 1994, lot 70, attributed to
on the ancient prototypes, of which the present the Song or Ming dynasty; another of different
the birds conjoined at their sides, each with a
C-shaped wing swept downward to elevate the censer is a shining example. A related vessel form is illustrated in Christian Deydier, Chinese
Bronzes, New York, 1980, pl. 148 and attributed
from the collection of Henri Cernuschi and
censer, the tails interlocking with one passing currently in the Musée Cernuschi, Paris, was to the Song dynasty; a vessel with a wheel base,
over the other and then descending to form
a support, the other tail sweeping under and included in the exhibition Bronzes de la Chine attributed to the Ming dynasty and sold in these
then rising to form a handle, the necks twisting Impériale: des Song aux Qing, Musée Cernuschi, rooms, 12th April 1990, lot 383; and a Mandarin
Paris, 2013, cat. no. 46. See also a gold and
duck-form washer attributed to the Ming
around each other and the faces turned upward silver-inlaid bronze vessel of the same form, dynasty and sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 20th
with the mouth open, the archaistic feathers
inlaid in gold and silver, the underside with two but diminutive in size, in the collection of Mrs. November 1985, lot 252.
small pairs of legs tucked into the belly Walter Sedgwick, sold in our London rooms,
2nd July 1968. A larger ‘mythical twin bird’,
Length 4¾ in., 12 cm
very similar to the present but with the wings 明 銅錯金銀天雞形爐
PROVENANCE positioned at a different angle, from the Helen
S. Darion Collection sold in these rooms, 20th 來源
Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978).
March 2019, lot 672. 史蒂芬•瓊肯三世（1978年逝）收藏
$ 80,000-120,000

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